Saturday, December 26, 2009

Top Baby Names of 2009, Decade

The most popular names of 2009 are already in and BabyCenter.com reports that "Isabella" and "Aiden"were #1. "Sophia,""Emma," "Olivia" and "Ava"are the other top five for girls. "Ethan," "Jackson," "Jayden" and "Jacob" finish out the top five for boys.
Over the last decade the top name for girls and boys were "Emma" and "Aiden." To find out more names on the list visit www.BabyCenter.com.

Christmas Traditions present vs. 1950

Christmas Day is over. Santa has already visited and is back at the North Pole resting after his very busy night. You have cleaned up the paper, but how did you choose to celebrate this year? StrategyOne survey asked how people celebrated their Christmas and found that just over 1/2 of Americans choose to open gifts on Christmas Day. If you compare today's traditions to those in 1950, 53% opened up gifts on Christmas Day today, just like 52% did in 1950. But making the holiday on Christmas Eve is on the decline. 30%of Americans in 1950 started Christmas on Christmas Eve and now today that number is down to only 12%. Celebrating on both days is on the rise though with 28% opening some gifts on Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas Day where in 1950 that number was only 3%.
However you chose to celebrate this year I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and will continue to make your own traditions!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

2009 Movies in Review

The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man and Inglourious Basterds topped the lists of 10 MSN movie contributors. What movie is top on your list, did it make any of the contributors top ten lists?

See all the lists for yourself.

Walking is good in many ways

Friday, December 18, 2009

Loud TV Ads

So there you are watching a movie or a show on television and a commercial comes on and you are blown away because the commercial volume is twice that of the show. Oh - this is an annoyance at my house and I'm making a guess that it's that way in your household too.
Guess what? Harris Corporation took a poll on sound variation between shows and ads and 80% of viewers take some type of action. 40% lower the volume while 22% mute the TV and 17% change the channel all together. The poll also found that 60% of viewers have a negative impression of the product or service when the volume is increased. There are a few out there, 5%, that say the louder ads grab their attention. 5% vs. 95% - I think it is time to keep the volume the same for the ads, it may end up selling more.

Sad Sad Story


A 2 year old boy was punctured in the heart by a sewing needle, but that's only one of the 40 some others. Yes, 40 plus needles are in this 2 year old boy and the doctors started extracting the few that were causing immediate danger first and will try to figure out the rest later. This is very sad, but the worst part of this story is how 40 plus needles got into this boy. His stepfather claims that the boy's mother, in a trance, told him to stick the boy with the "blessed" needles to help the mother and stepfather stay together.
This story is so unbelievable and disturbing that I really don't know what to say. It is very sad and I really feel horrible for what this 2 year has already went through and will continue to have to go through. No matter how many times I hear stories like this I'm still surprised that something like this could even happen.

Arizona Teacher on Leave

An Arizona Choir Teacher took her students to a performance in Phoenix and thought that the nearby Hooters Restaurant was the only place around that could accommodate the large group after the performance for lunch. I have never been there so I do not know if Hooters is or is not the only place large enough, but the fact that this teacher took High School age students to this restaurant without parent permission was not the best decision. This teacher planned on retiring in January, so maybe she past the point of really caring about her actions or did not think the place was that bad. One may never know. You can read the whole story by clicking here.

Procrastinating Holiday Shoppers

Well it has been a while since we have looked at a survey, so here we go. In L.A. the Consumer Reports National Research Center did a survey and found that holiday shoppers are procrastinating and buying their gifts at the last minute. They found that only 12% of shoppers have finished Christmas shopping. Get this - they found that 40% of shoppers have not even started yet!
I do not fall in either of the above categories. I did start Christmas shopping in November, but I'm not done. I hope to be after this weekend though. Could the fact that people are not done shopping have any coalition to not having the funds or the time to finish until the last minute? Bills and life just sometimes get in the way, don't they! Oh the survey also found that 34% of shoppers reported that something they wanted was out of stock, shocking isn't it.
Good luck finishing your shopping - maybe I will see you out there.

Vicks Dayquil Cold & Flu Recalled

This is just a helpful post about Vicks Dayquil Cold & Flu 24-pack Bonus Pack Liquicaps being recalled by Procter & Gamble Co. The product is missing the childproof packaging as well as a required warning about the product in homes with children. You can find out more by clicking here.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Today at the Children's Museum

Santa is coming to visit the Children's Museum before he returns to the North Pole. Anyone can see Santa and take pictures and it is free with admission, but he will only be there form 10am-12noon.

Have your kids ever wanted to learn how to be an elf? Elves in Training is also at the Children's Museum today. Your kids will make cookies and play games at the Children's Museum from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

You can click here to find out more about the Children's Museum and all the other special Christmas Programs that are going in December.

Friday, December 11, 2009

How well do you know your Princess?

I would think with an 8 year old daughter I would be able to do pretty well on a Princess Trivia game, but after round 1 that was not the case. I finished my line of questions with an overall score of 3200 points, not enough to earn me anything, but it was kind of fun. Maybe you have some time to kill - try it for yourself - click here. And good luck!

Yum...Cookies

Holiday baking, some people love it, some people just love to eat it. But what treats should you make or have prepared for you this year? Martha Stewart knows her stuff especially when it comes to baking and this is why this blog is here. You are now able to get the recipes and pictures for some of Martha Stewart's Christmas Cookies including Outrageous Chocolate Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies and quite a few others. So just like a recipe - follow the directions and happy baking.
For all the recipes click here.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Cut it Up or Not


You know there are probably a few credit cards you want to get rid of, but what how? I would normally cut them up like most people, but that may not be enough. Thanks to identity thieves we have to take each and every precaution to make sure we are not next. When you cut your card - separate the pieces or instead of cutting - shred it. Yes unfortunately this is the world we live in, so take the appropriate steps and click here to learn more.

A TV Special for Underwood

Carrie Underwood is spending her weekend preparing for her first TV special. "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special" will be on FOX this Monday. I will have to work on getting the TV away from my husband on Monday night to watch this two-hour special. Carrie is set to perform some new and old tunes, but she has invited some guests including Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton. And get this she and Dolly will be teaming up to sing "I Will Always Love You;" that should be a great one to see and hear. Tough choice for some - Packers or Carrie? Personally I'll go with Carrie as long as I can get the TV.